Although the Prime Minister Milojko Spajic At the beginning of October last year, it was announced that the construction of a new hospital in Pljevlja would begin this year, but it is increasingly certain that construction work will be postponed to 2026.
This means that the citizens of Pljevlja, who have been waiting for a new hospital for decades, will have to wait for the start of work for some time, despite administrative progress and concluded contracts.
The Ministry of Health told "Vijesti" that work will begin immediately after the review of the Main Design is completed and the building permit is obtained.
The audit is expected to be completed during the third quarter of this year, after which the necessary permits and the actual execution of the works will begin.
"The value of the tender for the selection of a designer and contractor for the implementation of hospital construction projects based on the 'design and build' principle is 38.720.000 euros including VAT. Therefore, the development of the Main Project is underway, and an auditor has been selected to carry out technical control. This is a very complex project that requires extensive technical documentation. As part of the process, it was necessary to develop a detailed technological solution for the new general hospital, aligned with the project terms of reference and the requirements of healthcare workers and users," the response from the Ministry of Health, headed by Dr. Vojislav Šimun, when asked by "Vijesti" when work on the construction of a new hospital in Pljevlja would begin and whether the company with which they signed the contract for the preparation of project documentation and execution of works had completed the project, given that the six-month deadline for completion expired at the beginning of April.
The contract for the development of the project for the construction of the hospital was signed in early October last year by the Director of the Capital Investments Administration. Esmin Bećović i Dejan Burčul, a representative of the Consortium that will participate in the implementation of the project as contractors. The signing of the contract was also attended by the Prime Minister Milojko Spajic and Minister of Health Vojislav Šimun.
According to the contract, the deadline for project development was six months from the date of signing the contract, and the deadline for work execution was 36 months from the date of the contractor's introduction into the work.
Although the project should have been completed long ago according to the contract, the Ministry says that all activities are taking place according to plan and that there are no obstacles in the implementation of the project.
"All these activities are taking place according to plan and in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders. We emphasize that there are currently no obstacles to the implementation of the project. The development of the Main Design is proceeding in accordance with the dynamics required by such a complex facility. The designers are actively working on finalizing the project documentation, all with the aim of ensuring that the citizens of Pljevlja, after more than five decades, receive a modern hospital facility that meets all standards and user needs."
Given that the revision of the Main Design is expected only after the third quarter, and that additional approvals and the issuance of a building permit are also necessary, entering the final stages of the construction season makes the physical start of works in 2025 practically impossible.
According to the preliminary architectural design, selected in an international competition in 2023, the gross construction area of the complex is planned to be approximately 26.540 square meters, including 12.290 square meters of above-ground floors and 14.250 square meters of underground space.
The complex will include 16 functional units and have 140 hospital beds.
The facility will contain numerous clinics and departments: internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, surgery, pediatrics, gynecology, emergency center, radiology, laboratory, ophthalmology, psychiatry, dermatology, otorhinolaryngology, etc.
An emergency center and a diagnostic clinic are planned on the ground floor, while specialist units and intensive care units are on the first floor.
The underground floors will be multi-storey, and the construction of an underground parking lot with around 305 spaces on two levels is planned.
The Social Justice Action recently warned that the final costs were initially higher than planned in the conceptual design, but also that the law allows for an increase in the value of the contract of up to 20 percent without a new tender.
Director of the General Hospital in Pljevlja Saša Grbović He previously told "Vijesti" that Pljevlja needs a new functional hospital, unlike the existing one, which is of the pavilion type.
"We were limited to two floors due to planning documents that did not allow for the construction of a higher number of floors. I think a multi-story building would be much more functional for us, but it was impossible to change that," said Grbović.
Before the start of construction, it will be necessary to demolish the former military station and the premises where the Emergency Situations Service is now located.
It is planned that some of the equipment from the current hospital will be transferred to the new one, and new equipment will also be purchased.
"Parts of the current hospital can be used for geriatrics and some type of care for patients in advanced stages of cancer, where the care of doctors is not so much needed as that of nursing staff," said Grbović.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
